The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-04-14
BOSS TWEED AND HIS MEN

Story Of the Overthrow of the Tammany Ring.
Mr.. L. j. Jennings, formerly con-
nected with The New York Times, and
now member of parliament, recent
ly related to representative OF The
London World the story of his fight
with Tammany.
"Before 1 had been at work very
long in New York." says Mr.. Jennings,
sit struck me as curious thing that
none of the city accounts were ever
published. There was a law requiring
them to be issued quarterly and annu'
ally, but not a sign of them could
find anywhere. The taxation OF the
city amounted to "a, 100000 year,
and in the course OF a few years a
debt had been run up of over e2O,-
100000. There never was a city so
badly lighted and paved. All the du-
ties of city government were neglected.
What, then, became of all the money?
set myself to work to
find out. The city govern
ment was entirely in the hands OF Boss
Tweed and his merry men. They had
yachts and fine carriages and fast
trotters, and wore diamonds in their
shirtfronts almost as large as saucers.
A few years previously most of them
had been unknown and penniless men.
The police, the sheriffs, the whole con-
troll Of the city, was in their hands.
One day | managed to find out that
sum equal to s12O,OOO has been
charged for carpets i'll building
known as the courthouse. went
over the court house and had look
round. There were no carpets there
only little mating, which might
have been bought for f2O. Little by
little l got at the secrets OF the city
account books. But had nothing
which could be produced in the shape
of legal proof. The bold course was
the only one to take. I asonished
the city one morning by coming out
with an article entitled Two Thieves
l denounced Tweed and his confeder-
ates as public robbers. They abused
me to their hearts content in their
newspapers; every crime had ever
heard OF was laid at my door. l was
arrested two or three times day as
the fight grew brisk; but
the magistrates, albeit in
the ring never refused bail, and there
were gentlemen of the city who stood
ready day and night to give bail for
me to the extent of $4,000, 900, had
so much been wanted. l WAS waited
for as went home at 2 or 3 in the
morning, but somehow my kind friends
always missed me- All kinds Of ~
ducements were offered me to shut
up and 60 away. One night q man
came suddenly into my room at the
office, shut the door quickly, and an
nounced that he intended to cut the
heart out OF me. AS you see l
am here; therefore it stands to
reason he did not do it. 1t is
needless for me to dwell on little Incl
cents of that kind. There was a we'll
known man who had once held an Of
fetal position in the Tammany organ
ization, but had been unfairly pushed
out of it. He had friend in the comp
were kept. One night he came into my
room, took his hat off, and remarked
that it was verv hot. Very ! said.
You have had hard fight, said he en-
couragingly. Have still, think, repli-
ed I, as got up to look out Of the VIM
dow. The truth was that Ifeltunusually
discouraged that night. There seemed
to be no end to the long road l was
on. i said yor have had it., said my
acquaintance quietly, pulling out a roll
OF paper from his pocket. Here is the
proofs, he went on, of all the charges
you have made-exact transcripts
from the comptroller's book. The
money stolen is over $4,000. 900.
Don't let the boys know that you have
got those papers; they wopld murder
you in q twinkling ii they as much as
suspected it, held out my hand for
the inestimable roll, ran off home
with it, and sat up all night olsen
tangling the figures and puzzling out the
whole story. The proof was ample.
but it took me some days to bring it
into shape which would make it's
due impression on the public mind.
The figures had been copied surrepti-
tiously, at different times, and were
all in chaos. Hundreds OF thousands
OF dollars were charged to various
persons who, / soon found, had no
existence. A plasterer had been paid
1896, 900 for plasterine one building.
Furnishing that building had cost
f1, 500, 900, although there were
| only a few stools and desks in the
place. need not tell you the details;
suffice it to say that we got the COR
rupt judges impeached and removed
from the bench; the boss and his &C
complies became fugitives, the entire
ring was shattered to fragments.